Bromance

There has been a certain mentality among straight males that ‘men should be men’ – strong, tough on the outside, not showing too much sensitivity or feelings, especially towards their male friends. However, with the introduction of the term ‘bromance’ into our everyday vocabularies, this mentality is losing its dominance.

Bromance, a term coined in the 1990’s by Dave Carrie, the editor of a skateboard magazine titled Big Brother has become an increasingly popular term to describe the close friendship between two males. This friendship is a non sexual one, however you’ll find a lot of those who identify their relationship as a bromance will happily joke about it in a sexual manner. This isn’t to say there are any underlying sexual feelings (though sometimes you have to wonder), it simply means these boys are comfortable enough with their friendship to make such jokes.

Often, those in a bromance will also be in a heterosexual relationship, getting the best of both worlds as a bromance has been described as ‘a deep bond between two males that no woman could satisfy’. Of course, this begs the question, what if you are the woman who can’t satisfy your man the way his bro can? You might be in fear of getting left out, or left behind, if he can find the companionship often sought after in a relationship with his bro instead. Alas, the bromance isn’t something to fear. Quite the opposite, actually. A man who is open to the idea of bromance is likely to be more in tune with his emotions, or at least willing to talk about them. It also means he values his relationships, both platonic and romantic, and will happily dedicate time and effort to them.

I’ve been told that a bromance shows that love can happen for anyone, in any form of relationship. I’ve also been told that they aren’t for the faint of heart, as with them comes blood, tears, and of course some kicking in the nuts (typical responses from males who identify themselves as being in a ‘bromance’). Whatever you chose to believe, the bromance has made its mark on society. No longer are females the only ones declaring love for their best friends and greeting them with a hug. The boys are here, they’re proud to say they love their bro, they want the world to know it. And I would say the best way I could sum it up is with the below;